Luxury Limo Service Finds the Perfect Replacement for Nextel

With over 400 employees, Commonwealth Worldwide Limo has grown to become one of the largest and most respected chauffeured transportation companies in the country. The company actively seeks new technologies to improve the customer experience and its business operations.

Prior to Zello, the company used 2-way radios and then Nextel for driver communications. They liked Nextel because it was fast, easy to use and affordable. Unlike 2-way radios, there were no range limits. When Sprint announced that its iDEN network for Nextel was being dismantled, the company found itself scrambling for a Nextel replacement.

Employees were happy with their Nextels, so it was important for the IT manager, Min Zhang, to find a replacement as good or better. Since the company was satisfied with their current data plan, they wanted a system that would run on Sprint. Also, the system needed to run on a mix of devices since they were transitioning to all Android devices.

Not finding a suitable PTT solution from Sprint or other carriers, Zhang started investigating mobile apps. While searching the Google Play app store, he stumbled upon Zello. He saw that Zello resembled Nextel, but offered more features. Since the app was free, he downloaded the app and tried it out. Zhang was impressed by Zello’s reliability, ease of use, and sound quality.

Following a trial, Zhang installed free Zello on the company’s 300+ devices. It worked perfectly. It worked so perfectly, that the company used the free app for well over a year without any problems. When service was temporarily disrupted by geopolitical events in Venezuela in February 2014, Zhang decided to upgrade the free app to ZelloWork. By using ZelloWork, the company would be reassured that service could not be disrupted again by overloaded servers and unpredictable events.

ZelloWork offered several benefits not available with the free app. In addition to being totally separate and independent of the free app, ZelloWork networks are more secure, with end-to-end encryption. An admin console is available to help manage users on the network. Users, channels, and groups in the network can be automatically added, updated, or removed by using the console. There is also technical support for ZelloWork customers available from 7am CDT to 7pm CDT.

Since Zello runs on any carrier network or Wi-Fi, Zhang had no problem installing Zello while using their existing Sprint data plan. Any combination devices could run on Zello, allowing the company to gradually switch from Nextel and iPads to Android phones and tablets. Zello is the primary voice communication tool between chauffeurs and the office. Zello allows dispatchers to instantly transmit work orders and route information to chauffeurs, and allows chauffeurs to stay connected with the main office. Zello can be used with Bluetooth-enabled accessories which allow drivers to use Zello without holding the phone.

Since August 2014, ZelloWork has been successfully installed on 300+ company-owned tablets and phones along with other in-house and 3rd party apps.

Since its founding in 1982, Commonwealth has grown to become one of the largest and most respected luxury limousine services in the country.The company serves clients world-wide using a vast network of carefully-selected global affiliates in 79 countries. Commonwealth’s success can be attributed to its core beliefs and values, which form the basis for the company’s motto: “The Commonwealth Way.” The Commonwealth Way focuses on delighting clients, maintaining employee morale, and optimizing operations while minimizing cost.

commonwealthlimo.com